The 2913th Disciplinary Training Center (DTC) was one of the U.S. Army’s principal penal and rehabilitation units in the European Theater during WWII. Based at Shepton Mallet Prison in Somerset, England, the center confined soldiers sentenced by court-martial and carried out both corrective training and punishments. Its mission was to maintain military discipline, rehabilitate offenders for return to duty when possible, and ensure the enforcement of justice within the American Expeditionary Forces. Established in 1942, the 2913th operated under strict military authority. The prison housed hundreds of inmates at a time, ranging from those guilty of minor infractions to those convicted of serious crimes. During the buildup to the Normandy invasion, its population surged as U.S. troop numbers in Britain grew. In addition to rehabilitation work, the 2913th DTC was the designated site for executions by hanging or firing squad, making it a somber symbol of wartime discipline.
Worn black crackle Zippo, hand engraved on the front with «2913th DTC». The reverse bears a hand engraved flourish above a small heart, a personal mark of its wartime owner.
